Tool for fracturing pipe



Nov. 8, 1966 s. E. COBLITZ TOOL FOR FRAGTURING PIPE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 26, 1964 INVENTOR. SANFORD E. COBLITZ Nov. 8, 1966 s. E. COBLITZ 3,233,973

TOOL FOR FRACTURING PIPE Filed Aug. 25, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

48 INVENTOR. v SANFORD E. COBLITZ Wm M WV Nov. 8, 1966 s. E. COBLITZ 3,283,978 TOOL FOR FRACTURING PIPE Filed Aug. 26, 1964 5 Sheets-$heet 3 IN VENTOR.

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United States, Patent Ofiice 3,283,978 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,283,978 TOOL FOR FRACTURING PIPE Sanford E. Coblitz, 567 Knollwood Ave., Ashtabula, Ohio Filed Aug. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 392,207 1 Claim. (Cl. 225103) The invention relates generally to a tool for fracturing and parting a fracturable member and more particularly to a tool having power screw means to operate a pair of jaws for tension-squeezing a cutter chain about the fracturable member for fracturing and parting same.

An object of my invention is the provision of drawn means including jaw means, power screw means, gear means and handle means for tension-squeezing a cutter chain about a fracturable member for fracturing and parting same, wherein said handle means extends in a direction transverse to the axis of the fractur-able member.

Another object of my invention is the provision of screw and handle means for operating a pair of jaws for tensionsqueezing a cutter chain about a fracturable member for fracturing and parting same.

Another object of my invention is the provision of handle operated mechanical advantage screw means for operating a pair of jaws for tension-squeezing a cutter chain about a fracturable member for fracturing and parting same.

Another object is the provision of screw means, and handle and ratchet means for operating the jaw-end portions of a pair of jaws (for tension-squeezing a cutter chain about a fracturable member for fracturing and parting same, wherein said handle and ratchet means is disposed to one side of the jaw-end portions of said pair of jaws rather than between the jaw-end portions.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the tool as it appears when in use for fracturing and parting a pipe;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical side view of the power unit of the tool which is operated by a ratchet and a handle; and

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of the power unit, showing the gear and power screw means.

The invention comprises a non-extensible chain 10, a pair of jaw means 11 and 12 for squeezing the chain about a pipe 13 which is to be fractured and parted, and a power unit 14 actuated by a ratchet 15 and a handle 16 for operating the pair of jaw means 11 and 12. The chain 10 preferably comprises a plurality of links and cross-connected pins 18. On each one of the cross-connected pins there is mounted a cutter Wheel 17 which has a V-shaped cutting edge for cutting or penetrating into the wall of the pipe for fracturing and parting same. The wheels are peripherally spaced apart from each other so that when the chain is tehsion-squeezed about the pipe, the wheels make a plurality of squeeze-cuts or indentures in the outer surface of the pipe. The squeeze-cuts or indentures are peripherally spaced apart from each other and there is left between the squeeze-cuts or indentures a fullwall section. The chain may be of the type shown in Wheeler Patents No. 2,940,035, No. 2,949,669 or No. 3,048,920.

The jaw means 11 and 12 are pivotally connected together by means of a cross-pin or bolt 21 and the entire jaw assembly has first and second jaw-end portions 22 and 23 which are adapted to be connected respectively to two spaced engageable portions of the chain 10, and third and fourth jaw-end portions 24 and 25 which are adapted to 'be connected respectively to trunnions 26 and 27 of the power unit 14. When the power unit 14 is operated, the jaw-end portions 24 and 25 are spread apart relative to each other which, in turn, draws the jaw-end portions 22 and 23 relatively toward each other for tension-squeezing the chain about the pipe for fracturing and parting same. As shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, each of the jaw means 11 and 12 comprises two side-by-side jaw members secured together as a unit with a lateral space therebetween. The second jaw-end portion 22 may be connected to the end portion of the chain 10 by means of a cross-pin 18 extending through the side-by-side jaw members of the jaw-end portion. In other words, the end of the chain is preferably permanently connected to the jaw-end portion 22, although it may be readily disconnected when rep-airing same. The free end of the chain 10 is wrapped around the pipe and is then drawn through the two spaced side-by-side jaw members which comprise the jaw means 11. The jaw-end .portion 23 of the jaw means 11 is provided with a transverse socket 19 in each of the two sideby-side jaw members. Therefore, when the chain is drawn substantially tight around the pipe, a selectable cross-pin 18 may be hooked under the transverse socket 19 for fastening the chain to the jaw-end portion 23. The Wrapped-around chain thus has a first spaced engageable portion connected to the jaw-end portion 22 and a second spaced engageable portion connected to the jaw-end portion 23. The chain does not completely reach around the pipe and thus a circumferential gap is provided between the first and second spaced engageable portions of the chain.

The power unit 14 has a casing which is adapted to rest on the ground or other surface as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. The upper part of the casing of the power unit is provided with two oppositely disposed trunions 26 which are connected to the third jaw-end portion 24. Extending out of the casing is a power extension plunger 64 which is provided with two oppositely disposed trunnions 27 which are connected to the fourth jawend portion 25. The construction of the power unit 14 is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings. Generally, the power unit comprises a ratchet 15, a stub shaft 39 on which the ratchet is mounted, a bevel gear 46 which is anchored to the opposite end of the stub shaft from the ratchet, a mating bevel gear 47 which is mouned on the lower part of the casing, a vertically extending power screw shaft 55, a vertically and reciprocally mounted power sleeve 60, and a power sleeve bushing 61, which is secured inside of the power sleeve and which is threadably connected to the power screw shaft 55, and a power extension plunger 64 which is threadably connected by means of screw threads 65 to the upper end of the power sleeve 60.

With reference to FIGURE 2, the ratchet 15 comprises generally a sprocket wheel 29 and a pawl 30 which is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 31. The ratchet 15 is of the reversible type in that it may be set to operate either on a downward stroke of the handle 16 or on an upward stroke of the handle 16. The upper end of the pawl 30 is provided with two inclined surfaces 34 and 35 which taper towards each other. A plunger 32 having a semi-spherical end is arranged to work against either the inclined surface 34 or against the inclined surface 35, depending upon which direction the ratchet is set to operate. The upper end of the pawl 30 is provided with a tooth 36 for engaging the sprocket wheel 29 when the ratchet is set to operate in one direction, and the lower end of the pawl 30 is provided with a tooth 37 which is adapted to engage the sprocket wheel 29 when the ratchet is set to operate in the reverse direction. The pawl 30 may be operated from the first direction to the second direction and vice versa by actuating a small lever 38 provided on the end of the pawl 30. The plunger 32 is spring-biased so that when the semi-spherical end works against the inclined surface 34, the tooth 36 is adapted to engage the sprocket wheel 29. When the lever 38 is operated to turn the pawl 30 in a counter-clockwise direction about the pivot pin 31, the semi-spherical end of the plunger 32 is adapted to work against the inclined surface 35 and to bias or constrain the tooth 37 to engage the sprocket wheel 29, whereupon the ratchet then is set to operate in the reverse direction to that shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. The plunger 32 may be spring-biased selectively against either one of the inclined surfaces 34 and 35 by means of a spring 33. Therefore actuation of the handle 'up and down causes the stub shaft 39 to be turned for operating the power unit 14 through the ratchet 15 which may be secured to the stub shaft 39 by means of a pin 44.

FIGURE 3 of the drawings shows the internal construction of the power unit 14. The stub shaft 39 is mounted to rotate in a bearing 45. The right-hand end of the stub shaft 39 is provided with the bevel gear 46 which mates with a bevel gear 47 for turning the power screw shaft 55. The bevel gear 47 may be connected to the lower end of the power screw shaft 55 by means of a locking key 59. The bottom end of the casing of the power unit is provided with a bottom cover plate 48 which may be secured thereto by means of screw threads 50. The bottom cover plate 48 may be securely locked in the bottom of the casing by means of a lock screw 49. The bottom cover plate 48 is provided with a bearing plate 51 which has a bushing 57 into which the lowermost end of the power screw shaft is adapted to rotate. The upper surface of the bearing plate 51 and the bottom surface of the bevel gear 47 are provided with circular raceways into which ball bearings 58 may be mounted for vertically supporting the bevel gear 47, which in turn supports the power screw shaft 55. Reciprocally mounted within the casing of the power unit 14 is a power sleeve 60 which has mounted in the inside lower portion thereof a sleeve bushing 61 which is threadably engaged by the power screw shaft 55. As illustrated, the power screw shaft 55 preferably has buttress threads which threadably engage matching buttress threads provided on the inside surface of the sleeve bushing 61. The upper end of the power sleeve 60 is provided with threads 65 into which the power extension plunger 64 is threadably connected. The power sleeve 60, being hollow and of reduced cross-section, is

preferably constructed of high tensile strength steel to carry the heavy vertical load and in the drawing it is so indicated by the double section lines, being the standard drafting symbol for steel.

In practice, when the handle 16 is operated, the ratchet 15 turns the stub shaft 39, which sets into operation the bevel gears 46 and 47, the power screw shaft 55, the sleeve bushing 61, the power sleeve 60, and the power extension plunger 64 for raising the trunions 27. This power train in raising the trunions 27 with respect to the trunions 26 separates the third and fourth jaw-end portions 24 and 25 which, in turn, draw the first and second jaw-end portions 22 and 23 towards each other for tension-squeezing the chain about the pipe for fracturing and parting same. The operation of the handle 16 is such that upon .each power stroke thereof, an additional force is applied to the chain to fracture and part the pipe. The additional forces are progressively increased with .a pause (return stroke) between each additional force (power stroke). By being constantly repeated, this force-then-pause action produces a series of pulsation forces which are progressively superimposed upon the constantly held tension-squeeze which was effected by the previous power stroke of the handle.

In other words, at the end of the power stroke, the pipe is put under a constant tension and this tension still prevails while the handle is returned to make the next stroke. The next increase of force caused by the power actuation of the handle is superimposed on the previous constant straining force, which action when repeated tends to fracture and part the pipe. This action may be looked upon as a a constant strangling of the pipe with progressive impulses vention as hereinafter claimed.

4 superimposed thereon until the pipe is fractured and parted. The fracturing and parting action is substantially the same as the method shown and described in Wheeler Patent No. 2,950,035.

As pointed out before, the indentures or squeeze-cuts are peripherally spaced about the pipe with a full-wall section therebetween. When a fracture occurs, at one or more of these indentures or squeeze-cuts, it extends peripherally across the full-wall sections making a complete fracture in a path around the entire fracturable member substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fracturable member. In operation, the depth of the indentures or squeeze-cuts are gradually increased until the induced stresses reach such a high value as to exceed the physical breaking strength of the wall section therebetween, at which point the fracture then occurs.

The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the in- What is claimed is:

Apparatus for parting a fracturable member comprising in combination, a flexible non-extensible cutter chain adapted to be wrapped substantially around said fracturable member and then tension-squeezed therea-gainst for fracturing and par-ting same without substantial relative rotation or oscillation thereabout, said wrapped-around cutter chain having first and second spaced engageable portions with a circumferential gap therebetween, draw means to draw said first and second spaced portions relatively toward each other and thereby tension-squeeze said chain about said fracturable member, said draw means comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaw means having first and second jaw-end portions and third and fourth jawend portions, said third and fourth jaw-end portions having respectively first and second trunion receiving means, first fastening means for fastening said first spaced portion of said wrapped-around chain to said first jaw-end portion, second fastening means for fastening said second spaced portion of said wrapped-around chain to said second jaw-end portion, first and second screw means turnportion, said second connection means including a hollow sleeve connected to said second screw means and having laterally extending second trunion means fitting into said second trunion receiving means, said hollow sleeve having an internal longitudinal opening into which said first screw means extends and having an external surface slidably mounted into said housing, said pair of jaw means extending away from said first and second spaced portions of said wrapped-around chain and disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis of said fracturable member with said screw means extending in a direction transverse to that of the axis of said fracturable member, a shaft mounted in said housing substantially perpendicular to said screw means, gear means interconnecting said first screw means and said shaft for rotating said first screw means relative to said second screw means, said second screw means being constrained against rotation by said second trunion means fitting into said second trunion receiving means, and mechanical advantage torque actuating means including a ratchet connected to 5 6 said shaft and a hand-operated lever connected to said 2,126,843 8/1938 Tintera et a1 74157 X ratchet and extending in a direction transverse to said axis 19 455 10 1940 Rhodes 74 157 of said fracturable member to operate said shaft and said 2 673 632 3/1954 Stiranka 74 157 X screw means and thereby tension-squeeze said chain about said fracturable member to fracture and part said mem- 5 2,949,669 8/1960 Wheeler 225 103 ber. 2,950,035 8/1960 Wheeler 225-403 References Cited by the Examiner WILLIAM w. DYER, 111., Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 598,159 2/1898 Rodefeld 30100 10 1,082,209 12/1913 ONeal 83631 1. M. MEISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

